Web startup finds local inspiration

Sunday

Nov 18, 2012 at 6:00 AM

By Amanda Roberge CORRESPONDENT

Inside the Ivy Corset Building — a renovated mill on Jackson Street that is home to an eclectic mix of established agencies and newer, greener companies — the emphasis is on hip. Every day is dress-down Friday. The whitewashed brick lobby, complete with pool and Ping-Pong tables with retro barstools for seating, allows for accessible stress relief during the workday.

It’s touches like these, according to the three Clark University graduates who inhabit a first floor office with their business Skyscope Creative, that are intended to keep startups from leaving the area.

“We all feel that Worcester is at a really exciting time,” said Sam Shepler, Skyscope’s chief executive officer, who would like to see more international students and other graduates of local colleges and universities stay local with their innovations and entrepreneurial endeavors. “We don’t have to live in the shadow of Boston anymore.”

Having come from around New England to attend Clark, Mr. Shepler, Alex Dunn and Gabe Gerzon have made a commitment to stay and grow their dream right where it was born, in a series of apartments on Florence and Birch streets. They have been inspired over time, they said, by the rich history of the city itself and also by their mentors along the way, who have begun building the infrastructure for growth.

“We want to be a part of it,” said Mr. Dunn, “and we hope that we can start a movement and get other graduates to do the same.”

Skyscope itself is one of those businesses that, like its surroundings, balances on the cutting edge. As the professional team behind promotional videos to be included in websites, the media-savvy trio manage all aspects of the process for their clients, from storyboards and creative concepts to production and editing.

Having cut their teeth on video games like Mortal Kombat and other graphic forms of digital media in elementary school, and having recently received masters’ degrees in communication and business, they have their thumbs squarely on the pulse of the future of Web marketing.

“If you have a website, and you care about that website, you are soon going to be left behind if you don’t have video content,” said Mr. Dunn, who added that while it is the industry norm to have a video piece on a site’s homepage, he feels the future will find each area of a website with video content. “It’s a really quick and effective way to get a lot of information delivered personally and creatively to potential clients.”

As the baby boomers settle into retirement, they added, it’s important to know who your potential clients are — and their “language” — and that they will be increasingly tech-savvy.

“People who grew up in our generation have a short attention span,” said Mr. Gerzon. “They aren’t going to wait around for a slow-loading website or read through pages of written content when they can click ‘play’ and watch it instead.”

In the early days of the Internet, Mr. Shepler said, there were legions of businesses that resisted getting a website, opting instead for what we now consider antiquated advertising strategies like Yellow Pages. It was only a matter of time, he said, before those old-school thinkers were considered to be out of their minds — and out of the running when it came to the competition.

The Skyscope team feels the same about the importance of video-infused websites. Within a few years, they said, not having video content will be the thing that separates serious businesses from amateurs.

With an impressive résumé even in the early stages that includes work for national brands and local entities alike, the Skyscope trio is heavily promoting Worcester as an up-and-coming community for new businesses.

“This is the kind of place where you can really make an impact,” said Mr. Gerzon.